This weekend I participated in the annual bowl-a-thon to support the local branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters. As an active volunteer with the agency, I figured I should put in a team. My Little, Bethanie, joined me, along with a few other friends.

It was a cool experience, being one of more than 200 teams that bowled throughout the afternoon and raised more than $70,000 for the organization.

I’ve been matched with Bethanie for over a year now. I won’t lie – it has not always been the easiest experience, and I haven’t always been eager to invest the time in our activities. It’s been a challenge to connect, to ensure we’re all on the same page, to gauge expectations and to come up with new ideas for our weekly get-togethers. But there have been far more ups than downs. We’ve encouraged each other to try new things and had a lot of laughs. I hope I’ve become a positive role model, as well as a stable and comforting figure in Beth’s life. That’s the goal.

After we finished our game, the local head of BBBS pulled my Little to the microphone as they welcomed the next shift of bowlers. When asked about her favourite part of the program, Beth said, “I get to hang out with Cheryl.”